Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay get in heated exchange over NFL Draft philosophy: 'You're ruining it with nonsense'
Mel Kiper Jr. certainly poked the bear this week when it came to firing up fellow ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay on the First Draft podcast discussing the best position groups of the draft class.
When they got to the running back position, McShay lamented that there isn’t a clear first-round talent in this year’s class, and that’s when Kiper took over. The conversation ramped up when McShay brought up Derrick Henry’s name in terms of first-round talent, and Kiper replied that Henry, in fact, was drafted in the second round. McShay’s point was there is no running back prospect that could set a franchise for 5 years.
“Todd, you mentioned Derrick Henry, that’s revisionist history, the kid was a second-round pick,” Kiper said. “And now, ‘Oh Derrick Henry’s great,’ Derrick Henry didn’t go in the first round, Derrick Henry went in the second round.”
McShay jumped in, “You got my point, Kiper. You’re always splitting hairs, man.”
Kiper then said Henry wasn’t viewed as a first-round talent in his draft class.
“If we were talking about it then, you weren’t raving about Derrick Henry as the next great running back coming into the NFL,” Kiper said, and added that many NFL teams already have multiple options at running back.
“Plus people have bought into that philosophy that I had, OK, that you should not take a running back in Round 1,” Kiper said. “Because you get the best out of them early on, after Year 3 what’s happening, and you saw the big money that some of them got that didn’t really pan out that didn’t really work to their benefit, and you can get these running backs. You can get them in the second round on, every year, Todd. … Because of the philosophies that teams have taken from me, Todd, and used that.”
McShay jumped in again.
“I can’t, honestly, it’s Monday after the Super Bowl, I’m trying to rehash the season, I’m trying to have a nice Monday here and you’re ruining it with nonsense, I’m not going to be pulled in, namaste,” McShay said. “I’m in a happy place.”